Tribulations of War
by Roca Fella
Summary: As talks between the Earth Alliance and PLANT break down, a new conflict is in its beginning stages, the scale of which will even dwarf that of the first one. All the characters from the show will eventually make their way into this story.
1. The Seeds of War

-I own nothing of SEED  
  
It has now been 4 months since the last battle of Yakin Duez in which the apocalyptic weapon,

known as GENESIS, was finally destroyed. Negotiations between PLANT and the Earth

Alliance, which began with such optimism and joy, have been reduced to a stand-still because of

the reluctance of both sides to made amends and sacrifices. The existence of Blue Cosmos

terrorists have impeded these talks multiple times, and the greatest crisis occurred after the said

group acquired 4 nuclear warheads and nearly successfully used them against several PLANT

colonies. It was only stopped at the last minute by an elite ZAFT team led by Yzak and Dearka,

the same pilots who stole two of the original Earth Gundams. In response to this, ZAFT

developed and deployed the Neutron Disrupter which once again, knocked out all nuclear

power on Earth, reigniting yet another energy crisis which was thought to be solved by the

Neutron Jammer Canceller. To maintain ZAFT's energy supply, the same scientists developed

the Neutron Disrupter Canceller which was shrouded by unprecedented secrecy. It is rumored

that all new ZAFT mobile suits are now outfitted with such a system, though because of the

secrecy, has been impossible to prove. This was obviously an issue of great contention during

the talks as the Earth Alliance accused PLANT of growing the seeds of yet another war while

PLANT asserted that it was merely protecting its citizens with the Neutron Disrupter. Tensions

have reached an all-time high and the military production for both factions has reverted back to

their wartime standards.

The Yakin Koel: Successor to the destroyed Yakin Duez  
  
Admiral Lacow of the 4th ZAFT Fleet came off to others as a man not to be trifled with

and it was not only his imposing figure and the authoritative aura which surrounded him at all

times, which perpetuated this image. He was a proud man whose family, dating hundreds of

years, has proudly served with distinction in the armed forces. He was one to continue that

tradition and from his achievements in the first ZAFT-EA war, he has achieved more in the 20

years he's served in ZAFT's fleet, than most in his family tree. It was Lacow's well-earned

reputation which now placed him at the head of ZAFT's largest fleet and top mobile suit squad.

As he approached the hanger, one of the lieutenants glided over to him in the 0 G environment

and quickly snapped a sharp salute. "Sir! The units and pilots of which you requested have

arrived here." Lacow let out a rare smile at this and clapped the lieutenant on the shoulder in an

earnest display of happiness. "Well don't keep an old man waiting. Show me the instruments

which will reestablish our long overdue supremacy over these Natural bastards." The aging

Admiral was surprisingly nimble for his age, which was now pushing the 50's, and maintained his

short distance from the lieutenant as he led the Admiral through a myriad maze of tunnels and

passageways that made up the mighty fortress of Yakin Koel. The fortress itself was not only

very well defended with thousands of defensive artillery batteries dotting its surface, but was

designed to resist over a dozen direct nuclear strikes. A lesson that was learned from the

destruction of ZAFT's former super-fortress, BOAZ; the Earth Alliance had no intention to fight

fair and was more than willing to use its substantial nuclear arsenal to achieve its goals. As the

Admiral approached the gate to the hangar, the lieutenant quickly took his ID which hung from

his neck at all times and slid it across a scanner. The door quickly slid open and the Admiral was

greeted by the sight of countless ranks of Zaft's finest pilots and crewmen. Lacow quickly

returned their salute and sought out the two pilots he wanted to see the most. He quickly spotted

Yzak Joule and Dearka Elsmen, the ace Gundam pilots of the previous war. The imposing

Admiral glided his way to the pair while dismissing everyone else back to their duties. He landed

gracefully in front of the two and beckoned them to walk with him toward his office. "Now I

know that the two of you must be filled to the brim with questions as to why I have summoned

you here, but yet did not order your Gundams to come with you. All that will be answered when

I fully brief you on our mission here." Though legendary for being hot-headed and loud-

mouthed, both Dearka and Yzak held their tongues this time to pay respects to the man

regarded as one of the finest tacticians ever to command a warship. The trio made their way to

Lacow's office where he beckoned them to make themselves at home in the plush armchairs in

front of his desk. "Now as you two fully know, seeing that both of you have parents currently

serving in the ZAFT council, the negotiations are deteriorating at such a pace that war can begin

again in as little as two months. To prevent the Earth Alliance fleet from making inroads into

PLANT territory and seeing that our mightiest fortresses were destroyed by the dastardly use of

nuclear weapons by the Naturals, the ZAFT council has decided to build a series of new, even

stronger fortifications blocking entry of the space routes into PLANT. As the top pilots ZAFT

currently possesses, I would like you to protect the said fortresses until their completion." The

two pilots opened their mouths in shock and were about to protest this assignment when Lacow

quickly interrupted them, "I know that guard duty is nothing short of an insult to your abilities as

a pilot, but you have another mission in addition to this. In the event of the declaration of war,

you two are to take your Gundams and destroy the newly rebuilt Moon Base at once in a sneak

attack that will hopefully cripple the Earth Alliance's space fleet." The two pilots were now

gawking openly at this and Dearka quickly asserted, "With all due respect sir, but what you're

asking us to do is nothing short of impossible. My Buster Gundam has impressive artillery

capabilities and Duel has substantial firepower owning to its shoulder cannon, but it is nowhere

enough to destroy an entire base with dozens of warships and hundreds of mobile suits

defending it. Not to mention all the stationary defense systems on the base itself." Lacow was

now chuckling at the young pilot's words and replied, "Do you think we would really send you

out on such a mission with those Gundams? The Gundams you are going to pilot are more than

capable of achieving the task at hand, and I believe you are very familiar with the two designs."

Yzak juggled his memory before reaching a startling conclusion. "The only Gundams we've seen

with that level of firepower are Freedom and Justice Gundam." Lacow broke out in open

laughter at this, "Hahaha. You're certainly a sharp kid Yzak. I see that you've taken that

defining characteristic from your mother. We designed Freedom and Justice. Of course we're

going to make more of such a successful design! Why kill the goose that lays golden eggs?

Anyway, now to get back to the mission at hand. After evaluating your performances during the

first war, I have concluded that Dearka with his expertise with long range artillery, should take

the controls of Freedom Gundam, while Yzak with his reflexes and close range battle abilities,

should take advantage of Justice Gundam's superior close quarter performance. I will give you

more details of the mission once you reach the fortresses under construction. In the mean time,

get used to your new Gundams waiting in the Laurasia class Frigate you saw in the hangar.

Dismissed!" The two young veterans stood up and saluted the revered Admiral, before stepping

out of his office. Before Yzak exited, he looked back and asked, "Admiral. Do you really think

that we will resort to war once again?" The Admiral had a sad smile as he said, "There is little

chance of peace in times like these. Hopefully when ZAFT emerges victorious, your children will

witness a brighter future, but yes Yzak. It is only a matter of time that war rears its head yet

again and we are obligated to pick up weapons of destruction and use them to achieve peace."

With that, Yzak left and followed Dearka toward their new Gundams.  
  
-Anyway sorry that this story seems so rushed and all. I promise that the next chapter will actually have some action in it. Until then, I hope you've enjoyed this one.


	2. The Drums of War

Sorry for the long down time. I've been busy as of late.  
  
New Earth Alliance Lunar Base  
  
A Montgomery class destroyer slowly pulled into the newly built hangars with two small space barges on both sides of the ship guiding it into the specific bay it needed to be in. The Montgomery class ships still make up the backbone of the EA fleet despite having all their weaknesses defined fully by the superior performances of the ZAFT Laurasia and Nazca class warships. It was still a good ship no doubt and the captain loved it as if it were his child. Captain Morris Lerot was recently promoted from his captainship of a Bernard class destroyer and he couldn't have been more overjoyed at this. His brother, Wes, held the same position and served with distinction during the first ZAFT-EA war; he was lucky to have lived through it unlike many of his friends.  
  
As the ship pulled into the docking bay with as much dignity as the rather cumbersome 250 meter long warship could manage, Morris was worried. Not for the rather poor docking of his ship, but for the events that have manifested since his promotion. The EA and ZAFT talks have all but broken down completely and after an espionage attempt by the EA to steal the Neutron Disrupter Canceller technology was discovered and stopped, the ZAFT council has granted the Grand Council what are essentially dictatorial rights. The population of ZAFT has been whipped into a war frenzy and likewise with many EA citizens as well. There was no doubt in many a mind that war was going to happen sooner or later and if it did, Morris would be on the frontline.  
  
Unlike the last war, this time ZAFT would be ready to fully take it to the EA's turf. With a series of fortifications completed along the routes to the PLANT colonies, ZAFT could dedicate most of its forces to the offensive front with little worries about the safety of these colonies from direct EA attacks. The nuclear arsenal of Earth has all been neutralized and its own mobile suit programs lagging in funds, research, and production. The large numerical superiority of the EA was the only thing which kept it in play at this moment and Morris feared that his beloved ship would be considered by the EA high command to be yet another piece of cannon fodder.  
  
Morris erased these thoughts from his mind as the airlock chambers of the base and ship were connected and he exited to meet the Grand Admiral in charge of the base. The Grand Admiral, a humorless and rather foul man, was nicknamed Waterloo to mock his given name of Daniel Waters by comparing it to the battle that destroyed, his idol, Napoleon's dreams of European domination. Waters was known to be a tough man to deal with and a crafty one at that; Morris would need all his concentration to pass the verbal test he supposedly gave every new commander. As he stepped into the office, Waters turned to face him and proceeded to size him up like a prizefighter in a ring. Morris thought to himself, "This is going to be a long day," before Waters began his questioning which would last the remaining part of the day.  
  
Yakin Lue: ZAFT base on the outskirts of ZAFT territory.  
  
The technician arched his back as he let out a prominent yawn. He had been working the past 13 hours prepping a Guaiz-A class mobile suit for a possible sortie later on that day. The Guaiz-A's were nearly identical to the original Guaiz's in appearance except for a dark blue color scheme and two Gatling guns, one on each shoulder. The real differences were internal; the Guaiz-A class boosts a much more powerful power rating from its nuclear generator, a commodity that only ZAFT has from its Neutron Disrupter Canceller, than the original Guaiz's by nearly 45. This allows the A class to wield a much more powerful beam rifle with an energy rating nearly double that of the original's. The shield is equipped with two beam scythes like the original, except the A class is also capable of using a beam saber in close combat. This class has taken over the production lines for new mobile suits and has received lavish praise from its pilots for its performance and reliability.  
  
Yakin Lue was more than established as a base after only four months since construction began. The heavily fortified base was built around an asteroid like all other ZAFT bases and featured some of the best defenses ZAFT could provide for it. After all, if the EA were to launch an attack on PLANT, this base would be their first line of defense. Its spacious hangars and docking bays allowed for a large number of ships and mobile suits to be stationed at once and the base's surface was home to a large number of automated defense systems.  
  
As the technician yawned once again and temporarily took his mind off his mundane task, as he looked at a newly arrived Nazca class with interest. An unnatural level of security surrounded the ship and several pilots wearing the coveted red suits exited it. The technician heard rumors of ZAFT preparing a preemptive strike on the EA holdings in space with its new mobile suits and with this new arrival, it seemed to be closer to a reality. Little did he know, the Nazca class carried none other than Yzak and Dearka, and their new Gundam's. It would be these same Gundam's that would launch against the newly rebuilt Moon Base of the EA by next week.  
  
Next chapter: How the war begins and the attack on the Lunar Base.  



	3. The War Begins

If I owned Seed, I would be filthy rich and not writing this story, instead spending my time touring the world. Instead, here I am.

New Earth Alliance Lunar Base

The devastation G.E.N.E.S.I.S inflicted upon the original lunar moon was still prevalent despite EA engineers' best attempts to mask the devastation with the newly rebuilt base. Many a new recruit could be found staring out at the man made scars on the surface of the moon and fragments of the original base still scattered throughout. Once in a while, even a human body shows up, but is usually quickly recovered before it causes too much of a problem. All this worked to demonize ZAFT and urge soldiers towards a more unbending loyalty to the EA.

"It was this almost fanatical loyalty that would work to EA's advantage," Daniel Waters thought with grim satisfaction as he bore witness to a slow build up of troops. A build up so gradual and masked by the construction efforts that ZAFT had completely overlooked it. This would come back to haunt them; Waters would make sure of that. Having received top secret orders from the EA head council just 2 days prior, authorizing the use of force against ZAFT facilities presenting any danger to EA interests, an invasion plan was already devised.

The force gathered within the vast expanses of the base numbered 34 Agamemnon capital class battleships including the flagship of the Arctic Fleet, Dauntless, with over 192 Bernard Class light destroyers and 107 Montgomery Class heavy destroyers adding even more firepower to the fleet. The armada gathered was supplemented by hundreds of Strike Dagger mobile suits and close to two thousand Moebius mobile armor units. All this would be on their way to launch a vast preemptive invasion of ZAFT before long.

Yakin Lowell: 3 Days Later

Unlike its neighbor base, Yakin Lue, Lowell was nowhere to being finished. It's internal structures were still under construction and the work on some of the hangars and barracks haven't even started yet. It seemed the only part of the base that still wasn't under constant construction was the command center located in the heart of the asteroid that served as the foundation for the base. As the operators carried on their duties for what they hoped would be yet another normal day, something was terribly wrong. 

At 0700 hour, the newly arrived shift of operators were immediately confronted with a crisis. The early detection systems sensed a massive fleet of EA ships departing the Lunar base and heading straight towards ZAFT territory. To be more specific, the fleet was headed right towards them. The ZAFT council was alerted of this and soon after, a state of crisis was initiated within all ZAFT held territory and military reinforcements rushed to the frontier bases defending the ZAFT border. There was little Lowell could do other than to evacuate all non-military personnel with the few civilian shuttles left in the base from the construction companies; the military aid would not arrive on time. The half completed, undermanned base was nothing more than a fly to the Goliath heading in its direction, but the base's soldiers still readied themselves for a futile last stand.

At 2300 hour, the advance units of the EA fleet reached Yakin Lowell and began exchanging fire with the ZAFT ships stationed there. The base only had 12 Nazca destroyers and 27 Laurasia frigates protecting it. Under most circumstances, this would be more than enough ships, but in the face of such vast firepower opposing them, those said ships did not last long. One Nazca ship, right after destroying a Bernard destroyer with its main cannon, had its bridge destroyed by a missile that got past its Close In Weapons System, or CIWS. With this, it was effectively out of the battle. Another was destroyed as a critically damaged Montgomery destroyer decided to go out in a memorable fashion and intentionally collided with the larger ship, taking out both of them.

Though the ZAFT ships were superior to their EA counterparts, the sheer volume of ships the EA put onto the battlefield was too great to overcome. A Laurasia frigate would destroy an EA ship with a salvo only to be then struck by a barrage fired by the surviving ships. The vast advantages in performance the ZAFT ships and mobile suits held over the EA permitted their tiny fleet to fight a war of attrition that was destroying 3 enemy ships for every one they lost. Everywhere, mini battles were occurring. In one sector, a Guaiz unit would be ambushed by 4 Strike Daggers only to have those Strike Daggers be destroyed by a nearby squad of Ginn's. A Strike Dagger was dueling with a Guaiz-A when the ZAFT mobile suit lashed out with its beam saber and was blocked by the Dagger's shield only to have the Guaiz turn on its shield scythes and impale the surprised Dagger.

Everywhere mobile suits and armors fought one another with inhuman strength and ferocity. The ZAFT forces out of desperation and a sense of duty to protect their people. The EA forces out of a hatred of Coordinators that was carefully coaxed by the EA military. There was little mercy given in this battleground and none was asked, for it simply wasn't received. A crippled Ginn retreating back to Yakin Lowell's hangars for repairs was shot in the back by a Moebius unit and damaged EA ships departing the battle were open game for the ZAFT. One Guaiz unit that was separated from his platoon and ended up in the middle of the EA force, raised its arms in surrender only to be blown in half by a shot from an Agamemnon's main cannon.

Eventually, even the bravery of the ZAFT forces could not compete with the numerical superiority of the EA fleet and the base's defense forces began a slow pullback to the base itself. All this while, the uncompleted base's own defense systems, as limited as they were in numbers, were providing an endless supply of support fire and made them enticing targets for the EA as they slowly advanced on the base. Gradually, Lowell's forces were forced to retreat within the base itself and the EA fleet moved in to begin a siege while launching assault after assault to gain a foothold inside the base itself. It only took the EA, nine hours to drive ZAFT off the battlefield. As the ZAFT forces fought off assault after assault, its numbers became even more depleted and weak. Unless something was to change radically soon, they would be overwhelmed before long.

Ok Ok, I lied when I said Yzak and Dearka would attack the lunar base this chapter. I guess I had to go into the details of this battle a little too much. Next chapter, I promise.


End file.
